No description available.

Sleep deprivation has been studied for over a century, providing knowledge about the benefits of sleep for many physiological, cognitive, and behavioural functions. However, there have only been anecdotal indications about what a tired or sleep-deprived person looks like, despite the fact that appearance influences not only how other people perceive a person but also how they evaluate them and behave towards them. How someone with sleep loss is perceived and evaluated by others is the focus of this thesis. Facial photographs of 48 participants were taken after normal sleep and after either one night of total sleep deprivation or two nights of partial sleep deprivation. The photographs were then evaluated in four different studies by a total of 288 raters recruited from universities and the general public in Stockholm, Sweden. The faces were rated on attractiveness, health, tiredness, sleepiness, sociability, trustworthiness, employability, and leadership ability. These factors were all adversely affected by sleep loss. Furthermore, looking tired was strongly related to being less attractive, looking less healthy and less trustworthy, and being perceived as a poorer employee and leader. One of the studies assessed facial features commonly associated with looking tired, showing that sleep deprivation results in eyes which appear more swollen and red, with dark circles and hanging eyelids, as well as paler skin with more fine lines and wrinkles. When sleep deprived, people were also perceived as more sad. In conclusion, the four studies show that sleep loss and a tired appearance affect how one is perceived by other people. These perceptions may lead to negative evaluations in interpersonal situations, both personal and professional. This thesis thus demonstrates social benefits of prioritizing sleep, adding to the physiological, cognitive, and behavioural research on sleep loss. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Sleep impairments for caregivers are multifactorial. Assumptions are that caregivers of those with primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT) are similar to caregivers of persons with dementia as cognitive impairments are present at diagnosis. The shorter trajectory of PMBTs and rapid deterioration of recipients’ health may influence sleep in caregivers of persons with a PMBT. The purposes of this study were to use a sleep impairment model to characterize caregiver sleep using objective and subjective measures, and to examine sleep loss effects on psychosocial and physiologic health outcomes. A secondary data analysis using baseline data from a larger study of mind-body interactions in caregivers of family members with PMBTs was used. Caregiver data included standardized questionnaires, serum blood draw, and three-day sleep-wake activity data from an accelerometer. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlations, t-tests, and hierarchical regression models. Caregivers (N = 133) were White (94%), female (69.2%) spouses (75.2) and on average 52 years old (SD = 11.8). Care recipients were mainly White males of similar age with a highly malignant glioma (57.4%). Sleep latency was longer (35 min, SD = 34.5), with shorter total sleep time (TST) (357 min, SD = 84.6) and more frequent wake after sleep onset (WASO; 15.1%, SD = 9.2) than in the general population. Caregivers reported high anxiety (59.4%). Caregiver comorbidities and care recipient functioning explained higher perceptions of health (R2 = 26, F(2, 84) = 14.94, p < .001). Whereas, longer TST, more WASO and poorer sleep quality explained poorer quality of life (R2 = .27, F(4, 66) = 6.19, p < .001). Sleep loss variables explained little variance in physical health status, interleukin-1ra and interleukin-6 levels, fatigue, depressive symptoms, spiritual health, social support, and work limitations. Nurses need to assist caregivers with anxiety management and ways to improve sleep at time of PMBT diagnosis. Sleep impairments place these caregivers at risk for physical and mental health problems, and compromise their ability to continue in the role.

No description available.

Objectives: Asthma is a genetic disease that requires an environmental trigger to manifest in predisposed individuals. This study aims to assess the prevalence of asthma among U.S. adolescents and possible environmental triggers to asthma. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey 2015 (YRBS 2015). A total of 15,624 high school students in the U.S. were included in this analysis. The YRBS was established by Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) in 1991 to monitor six priority health risk behaviors among youths and young adults. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaire which was validated by CDC through a two test reliability studies. The Data was analyzed using SAS v 9.4. Results: The overall prevalence of asthma was 23.08% with no significant difference between male (22.84%) and female (23.31%). Simple logistic regression analysis showed that the estimated odds of having asthma among individuals that initiated cigarette smoking before the age of 13 years was about 40% higher than those who did not (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.40, 95% CI: 1.22-1.62, p<0.0001). The odds of having asthma was also significantly higher among individuals who used marijuana before the age of 13 years (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.11-1.46, p<0.001) than those who did not. Furthermore, the estimated odds of having asthma was 25% higher in individuals currently using marijuana (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.14-1.37, p<0.0001) than those who do not and 44% higher among obese individuals (OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.29-1.60, p<0.0001) compared to non-obese individuals. Sleeping eight or more hours per day was protective against asthma (OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74-0.88, P<0.0001). After adjusting for age and other factors, multiple logistic regression showed that the odds of having asthma was approximately 26% higher among individuals who initiated cigarette smoking before the age of 13 years (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01- 1.57, P=0.037) than those who did not. Moreover, the odds of having asthma was 18% higher among those who initiated alcohol drinking before the age of 13 years (aOR: 1.18, 95%CI: 1.04-1.35, P=0.014), compared to those who did not. There was no association found between asthma and physical activity, the use of marijuana after adjusting for age and other potential risk factors. Conclusion: While sleeping more than eight hours per day was protective against asthma, early initiation of cigarette smoking, marijuana, and alcohol drinking was positively associated with asthma. Encouraging children to sleep minimum of eight hours per day will potentially decrease asthma prevalence.

No description available.